South Park is as unapologetic as TV shows can get, and has ruffled feathers aplenty with some of its most controversial episodes. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone also aren't afraid to let the series show love to its setting of Colorado, and that applies to paying to renovate the Casa Bonita restaurant when it had financial troubles, as well as honoring its populous' massive love for the Denver Broncos. But does John Elway himself actually like being alleged to be Eric Cartman's dad?
I'd always wondered, and as fate would have it, Elway was recently unmasked as Leaf Sheep on The Masked Singer. He was gracious enough to talk to CinemaBlend about the experience, as well as what he thought about being referenced on South Park over the years. Much to my surprise, it turns out the two-time Super Bowl-winning champion has watched the show in recent years:
I've actually started watching it a lot more when I've had more time and, you know, get a kick out of it. I'd heard so much about it that, I don’t know how many times because every time they'd have me on one of the [episodes], one of my friends who is a big fan would always say, ‘Hey, did you watch it last night that? You know, you were on again last night?’ So, you know, it's always nice when you have that, especially in those types of shows, when they put you kind of on a pedestal, and it makes you feel pretty good about it.
The "Duke of Denver" isn't bothered by his South Park portrayal in the slightest, which is great to hear. In fairness, he's gotten far better treatment on the animated hit than other celebrities. Outside of being suggested as Eric Cartman's father, at least before it was disproven, the children also made sacrifices to his statue in "City On The Edge Of Forever," and various other pictures of him have popped up on the show.
Not every celebrity referenced in South Park has gotten away with such a favorable portrayal, as mentioned. Singer Lizzo took her diss in stride when she saw how she was referenced in the "Streaming Wars" special in 2023, but Jennifer Lopez was so offended by her portrayal in Season 7's "Fat Butt and Pancake Head" that she snubbed the creators at an event.
Fortunately, it seems like there is all love for Matt Stone and Trey Parker as far as John Elway is concerned. I'm hoping that, if the creators are genuinely big fans of the player, they can find a way to get him involved in a future episode, just because I never would've guessed he was someone who watched South Park. I guess even Hall of Fame NFL players need something ridiculous to laugh at when during downtime, and we shouldn't be all that surprised they're also watching the same irreverent shows we are.
Now, this just has me wondering what other celebrities are watching South Park, and how they might feel about suddenly becoming the subject of an episode someday. Perhaps there's some secret elite support group we don't know about where they share those feelings, which, ironically enough, might also be a great pitch for a South Park episode.
South Park is available to stream with a Max subscription, though anyone with a Paramount+ subscription can watch a few of their streaming exclusive specials. As for The Masked Singer, Season 12 just kicked off and airs on Fox on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET.
